Los Angeles Dodgers Acquire David Freese

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 03: David Freese #23 of the Pittsburgh Pirates bats during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on July 3, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers defeated the Pirates 8-3. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Player Profiles

Drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 9th round of the 2006 MLB Draft, Freese would not play a game in a Padres uniform as he was traded in the 2007 offseason to the Saint Louis Cardinals in exchange for center fielder Jim Edmonds. Two years later, Freese would make his MLB debut in 2009 playing in seventeen games. In his five years with the Cardinals, Freese would be a huge part of the Cardinals winning the 2011 World Series and was named the World Series MVP. Freese would also be named an All-Star in 2012. In his time in St. Louis, Freese would play in 466 games hitting a .286 batting average with 44 home runs and 237 RBI.

After the 2013 season, Freese, along with pitcher Fernando Salas, was traded to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for outfielders Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk. In two years with the Angels, Freese would play in 255 games with a .258 batting average as well as twenty-four home runs and 111 RBI. Late into the 2016 offseason, Freese would sign with the Pirates. So far this season, Freese is hitting a .283 batting average with nine home runs and 41 RBI.

Valdez, is a twenty-year-old shortstop prospect who has spent the year in the Dominican Summer League. In 60 games, Valdez is hitting a .230 batting average with six home runs and 27 RBI.

Trade Analysis

For the Dodgers, the veteran depth the team is acquiring is clearly a sign that the team is World Series or bust this year. For the Pirates, this confirms that they are going back into the rebuilding stage, and they were looking to get something for Freese with his contract soon expiring. But for this year, Freese will bring his winning pedigree to the Dodgers and contribute to their World Series run.Embed from Getty Images

Carson Babbini is a sophomore student at the University of Minnesota studying Journalism specifically focusing on Broadcasting with a minor in Sports Management. Carson is a Minnesota sports fan and a sports enthusiast in general. He started writing for Last Word on Baseball on September 21st, 2017. On February 12th, 2018, Carson accepted an editor position as well as writing for the site. Carson is always looking forward to getting the latest news and getting it out to the public.